Echo
by ChocolateMarshmallows
Summary: The chiffon skirt of the strapless white dress whooshed around Karin's legs, and she shifted from toe to toe, fighting the urge to smooth her dress. As the beginning chords of a haunting piano melody began to play, she exhaled and stepped onto the stage..
1. Emptiness

**I strongly suggest that you listen to the song _Echo_ by Sweetbox as you read this fic. :) Tell me if you fall in love with the song! ;D**

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><p><strong>Echo<strong>

**Chapter 1:**

**Emptiness**

The chiffon skirt of the strapless white dress whooshed around Karin's legs, and she shifted from toe to toe, fighting the urge to smooth her dress. As the beginning chords of a haunting piano melody sounded across the club, she exhaled deeply and stepped out onto the stage in her sister's strappy heels. She had dressed carefully tonight, taking her time to brush out her long ebony colored locks and unhurriedly patting on minimal make up. After all, this was the end of some of the most beautiful times in her life, as well as the beginning of something new. It was a gift to herself, and Karin was determined to walk away from everything with her pride intact.

Taking a deep breath, she gave the attentive crowd the smallest of smiles and began to sing, her breathy voice resonating through the club.

"_Like a call across the ocean,_

_did I hear you say my name?_

_Is my mind just playing games?_

_I can feel you when I'm dreaming,_

_See your face in every crowd,_

_Until they turn around."_

Karin swallowed back the growing lump in her throat, and clutched the microphone tensely.

"_Every night going out with the girls,_

_don't know what to do with myself._

_Trying almost everything to forget,_

_Nothing helps._

_And my heart's torn in between_

_Letting go and hoping you'll see_

_You belong with me-"_

She sang on, everything feeling fuzzy, unreal, like a dream that she would wake up from very soon.

"_Maybe I'm blind,_

_maybe it's over._

_Maybe they're right,_

_maybe you're gone this time._

_Telling my heart,_

_It's going to be harder,_

_When it hears you every sigh._

_Like an echo-_

_Like an echo-"_

And Karin couldn't help it as images flashed through her mind- memories she held onto like a lifeline, yet still buried deep into the recesses of heart. Scenes of her in a scratchy chicken suit and him ambling out of his car and offering her his hand; scenes of her and her silver-haired companion racing to the top of the peak; using their bare hands to catch stray tadpoles, his expensive suit ruined uncaringly; and sitting together in companionable silence on his spacious balcony, staring up at the stars…

She ignored the sharp stab of pain in her chest; she was used to it, and she knew exactly what a broken, shattered heart felt like. It'll be gone soon, the pain- and leave another hollow space in her chest. Then she will feel nothing.

Absolute emptiness.

No more hurt, no pain, no more little bits of hope, no joy- and that's what she needed.

"_Like a star over the desert,_

_Like a light across the fog_

_Can't keep this hope from burning_

_Like a signal to come home._

_And I know that you might be further,_

_Than you've ever been before."_

And her mind cuts to the part when he left her there, she herself calling desperately after his steadily retreating back, her staring after him, a stupid hope still in her heart…even though her mind knew perfectly well…

"_Like an echo-"_

She shut her eyes tightly, because she couldn't fight back these memories anymore, couldn't fight back the moisture they brought to her eyes. She hated to cry. She hated looking like a little girl once more, as if she had innocent, crystal stars dripping down her face; and so confused, so alone…

"_My friends don't understand_

_It's not like I am choosing_

_To do this to myself._

_They say just don't look back,_

_They don't hear the echo that you left._

_And my heart's torn in between_

_Letting go and hoping you'll see,_

_You belong right here_

_And trying almost everything to forget,_

_Nothing helps."_

And it was all right.

Karin closed her eyes again, turning away from the audience, hands white-knuckling the microphone once more.

Because even if it was for the lifetime of a song, she could still finger her scars, lick her new wounds, and bask in the pain of betrayal, broken trust, and broken hearts. For the lifetime of a song, she refused to lie to herself.

"_Maybe I'm blind,_

_maybe it's over_

_I'm telling my heart,_

_It's going to be harder _

_Because you're still here inside._

_Like an echo-"_

Karin wasn't stupid. She wanted to forget; it was constructive to forget. Fingering her skirt, she paused. But she also knew it was destructive to pretend.

"_Like an echo-"_

And it was there and then, as she finished the last song, that she made her choice. She promised herself –many times- that after this one last song, one last letter to _him_, that she would say goodbye and go on her own merry way.

She stepped back from the stage, tottering off the edge, everything a blur. Two icy, cold tears dripped down her face, landing splat on the floor, trampled on by feet, so many feet- too many people, too crowded- she had to leave, she had to be by herself and scream, cry- whatever she wanted- but there would be plenty of time for both later.

A hand caught her wrist, and she looked up woozily.

"Rangiku-san?" she murmured.

The woman stared down at her, almost disbelievingly.

"Oh Karin-chan," Matsumoto's wide blue eyes filled with tears. "Oh, I'm sorry, Karin-chan. I'm so sorry." And there was something in her eyes that let Karin know that Matsumoto _understood_.

Hot tears running down her cheeks, Matsumoto pulled her into a hug. "I didn't know, Karin-chan. _I honestly didn't know_."

Karin looked up at the ceiling. What was left to say? What hadn't she said before? _What was left to do?_

"It's all right now, Rangiku-san. It's over. This time, it's really over," she said quietly, as if she were comforting the older woman, and not herself. "It's done."

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><p><strong>I don't own Bleach, or Echo, by Sweetbox. It's a bittersweet song, and I found it one day while surfing through my Asian music program. xD<strong>

**This is a companion to Chicken Princess, and this is where I'm collecting some new ideas. But don't expect these stories to end the same way. Because they will NOT-and I repeat, NOT relate to each other in any way (other than the songs I'm still trying to pick ;D).**

**REVIEW! And tell me, should I make it a one-shot, two-shot, long chapter story, what? It's all up to you! :D**


	2. Every Time We Touch

**HI! Second (and last) chappy finally up! I'm super excited...especially since this is the first TouRin fic I have ever FINISHED! :D**

**BTW, I came up with this idea while I was 'thinking' about the next chappy of Chicken Princess...and I just HAD to write it down. Also, at the same time, there just happened to be a contest on deviantart about the hitsukarin theme 'music'. So if you really like this fic, please go on deviantart and vote for it! Thank you:D**

**Please review if you have the spare time to tell me whether or not you liked it. o.o That's not hard, is it? ;D**

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><p><strong>Echo<strong>

**Chapter 2:**

**Every Time We Touch**

Matsumoto raised her glass, ice cubes clinking, and downed it in one. Slowly, she tilted her head towards her smaller, dark haired companion, lips quirking up slightly. "Karin…"

The smaller woman glanced up gradually, gazing into Matsumoto's large, blue eyes, filled with an emotion she found herself beginning to understand. "Mmmm?"

"Do you," Matsumoto slurred, swirling the last few droplets of her drink, "know what it feels like when a perfect fairytale burns? Goes up in a puff of smoke?"

Turning, Karin blinked away the exhaustion, suddenly so utterly worn out, _so_ tired of everything.

"I do..." she muttered bleakly. "It's funny, though. I've always thought it was _dumb_, can you believe it? I've always thought those sobbing girls were idiots…" She shut her eyes, bringing a hand to support her temple. "And no one's in any position to judge, _especially_ not me." She brought her glass to her lips, gulping down the liquid, the feeling of it burning her throat; and she felt somewhat better, somewhat more _whole_, if only temporarily. "It's funny how many things I was wrong about, now that I think about it…misjudgments, misconceptions, mistrust…I've never felt more _wrong_ in my life." She chuckled darkly, brushing away imaginary dirt on her angelic white dress. "I feel like…I just aged a century…"

"Karin." Matsumoto said quietly. "You're young; _too_ young for all of this-" She closed her eyes. "—I could have done something."

"You've done more than enough for me, Rangiku-san," said Karin gently, "For one, you saved me back there. Without you, I would've suffocated, or been trampled on…" She received a small, genuine smile this time.

They lapsed into a long, comfortable silence this time, sometimes interrupted by the occasional clanking of glasses and mindless chatter around them at the bar.

"Do you know why I like to drink, Karin-chan?"

The younger girl looked up at this. "Why?"

The strawberry blonde haired woman smiled, a bitter expression, and at that moment she looked a lot older than her years.

"Because every time I drink, I find myself forgetting one more thing." She gulped down the strong, burning liquid, relishing the feeling. "Alcohol is a miraculous thing, no?"

"Ah…" Karin's lips quirked, and her eyebrows furrowed slightly. "What do you still remember?"

A pause.

Matsumoto shifted until she was leaning back against the bar stool, and she was silent for a long moment.

"I remember…"

Karin studied her face intently.

"I remember…he was always there for me. Always saving me. Always taking my burden. Always taking the blows for me…" A silver droplet flowed down Matsumoto's face, and she quickly wiped it away. "This time, he's saved me again. And now he's gone." She croaked, voice cracking. "And I couldn't do anything about it, just like another bystander…_once again_…" Her voice broke.

And Karin couldn't stop the flow of tears down her face. What could she say? What could she do for her Rangiku-san?

"Rangiku-san…"

Matsumoto glanced up slowly, gaze steady and unblinking. "And you know what, Karin-chan?" She paused. "Some things…you can never forget. No matter how much you drink." She raised her glass. "Cheers."

Karin swallowed down the gigantic lump in her throat, watching her drinking companion cope; in her own way, and not quite knowing what to say. The busty woman stood up suddenly, carefully straightening her raven black dress, which featured straight tubes of silk that ended in two inches of of ribbon fringe.

It was a gift from _him_.

"I'm singing the next song, I believe," Matsumoto said quietly. After one last half broken, half healing smile to Karin, she began towards the center of the dance floor, a chocolate martini in one hand.

Karin turned around, leaning on the polished counter, and just sat.

Matsumoto's situation was 10 times worse. Simply because- she and Ichimaru were meant to _be_. And even so, they were cheated out of the happy ending that was supposed to be _theirs_. She sipped at Matsumoto's discarded scotch, coughing at its burn.

But as for herself…

A soft, sweet piano melody began to play, and Matsumoto's normally syrupy voice resonated through the club.

"_I still hear your voice when you sleep next to me_

_I still feel your touch in my dreams_

_Forgive me my weakness but I don't know why_

_Without you it's hard to survive—"_

This song…

A little part of Karin was confused. Why did Matsumoto pick such a happy, hopeful song-? It couldn't be...

"_Cuz every time we touch,_

_I get this feeling_

_And every time we kiss,_

_I swear I can fly_

_Can't you feel my heart beat fast,_

_I want this to last-_

_Need you by my side-_

"_Your arms are my castle your heart is my sky_

_They wipe away tears that I cry_

_The good and the bad times we've been through them all_

_You make me rise when I fall-"_

Karin blinked, biting her lip.

Her Rangiku-san still _hoped_, still had _faith_, no matter how little there was left. It was still there...inside...

And then a though struck her like a tornado.

_Why_ shouldn't_ Matsumoto have hope_? Karin bit her lip harder. Matsumoto's fears were not confirmed...In fact, her situation was so utterly different than hers...Yet it still felt practically the same...

Because Matsumoto couldn't be sure.

Despite herself, Karin brightened slightly. Matsumoto just might get that happy ending that she'd been drinking herself to forget..._Please, please oh please let Matsumoto figure everything out...and live happily ever after..._If it was anyone who deserved a happy ending, it was Matsumoto.

Listening to the song, something changed within Karin.

For the first time in a long time, she felt...a little less broken. Maybe it was just the rounds of drinks that were a little too strong; maybe it was the yearning, yet optimistic music; and maybe it was the look in Matsumoto's eyes as she sang.

But Karin finally decided to _move on_. To let go, to _forget_. In the end, she was still strong-

"Karin."

She froze. No, it couldn't be...

"Karin..."

She turned around slowly, and looked up into a pair of familiar, blue-green irises. Her own face was chalky from too many late nights, but he looked ready for a press conference. His silver hair was crisply cut, and of course, with his tie charmingly askew, top few buttons undone. For the first time in her life, she blanked out. It was as if she were disconnected from her body, her mind, and her heart, floating to the other side of the room, and watching herself struggle with too many different emotions...

Did he come back to dig further into her wounds?

"We need to talk, Karin."

The glass in her hand slipped, and smashed into a billion glittering pieces on the polished marble floor. It was funny -Karin had envisioned the time they would meet again, many times. She always pictured herself too pained, too broken to do anything. She had even decided to move on. But now...looking at him...

She was tired.

And she found her voice.

"There's nothing to say...Hitsugaya-" She kneeled, carefully pushing sharp pieces of stray glass into a neat pile. Surprising herself once again, her voice was even. "-san." She said flatly, watching herself struggle, watching herself trying to decide whether to cry, beg, or run.

A professionally manicured hand snatched her wrist, the grip so familiar, so forbidden, so _yearned for,_ she didn't immediately jerk her hand away.

"Karin..." A less cynical person would believe honest pain tightened the corner of his mouth. "Listen, Karin...It's all over now. I ended it all with Hinamori, and we can be together now-"

A fury began to burn inside her, and she was almost too angry for words. "You sound sincere. You look sincere. But I don't buy a single fucking word."

And she surprised herself, again. But she had a feeling that the reason she wasn't sobbing her eyes out at that very moment was because she was too mad to think.

He wanted to break her heart all over again.

"Just listen, Karin. " He jammed his hands into his pants pockets. "Sereitei's already mine, what other motives could I have?"

White, hot rage coursed through her veins, bringing to life a fury that has been buried inside her ever since the moment she realized that _everything_ was a lie, that nothing was _real_. And it blocked out all the months of hurt, tears, and helplessness. "Let's begin with your image. You, the mighty Histugaya Toshiro, new CEO of Sereitei, Entertainment, has always been seen as the gorgeous, generous, prodigy. When it gets out that the wonderful Hitsugaya-taicho married the Kurosaki girl, then ditched her for beautiful, glitzy supermodel Momo Hinamori, after he had a hand in her inheritance-"

"It wouldn't matter."

"-all hell will break loose."

"It wouldn't matter."

"And _why is that_?"she challenged, so mad that everything else felt numb.

"Because I quit."

Karin stared.

"Karin, Sereitei and Naikkomeddo were everything I had ever worked for. Being the head of the Entertainment business was everything I _thought_ I had ever wanted." He paused, teal eyes piercing her own. "And then I met you...It might sound somewhat strange, coming from me, but...You changed me. And you flipped my world upside down in the process."

She continued to gape at him, too stunned for words. _It was everything he had ever worked for..._

_...and he threw it all away._

A hope began to spread in her chest...too quickly...

"And I don't want anything, Karin...but you..." A genuine smile touched upon his lips.

She believed him. Because...

"_Every time we touch, I get this feeling_

_And every time we kiss,_

_I swear, I could fly_

_Can't you hear my heart beat fast,_

_I want this to last,_

_Need you by my side..."_

...and she had _hoped_.

He stepped closer, holding out his arms. And she couldn't feel anything -no more pain, disbelief, anger- but the joy spreading through her, starting from her toes to a tingling in her fingers. She inhaled, and smiled through her tears.

"_Every time we touch, I feel the static,_

_And every time we kiss, I reach for the sky_

_Can't you hear my heart beat slow, I can't let you go_

_Want you in my life-"_

She took the last few steps, and threw her arms around his neck, and he grabbed her fiercely. She squeezed her eyes shut, too shocked, too happy to say anything.

_"Your arms are my castle_

_Your heart is my sky_

_They wipe away tears that I cry_

_The good and the bad times_

_We've been through them all_

_You make me rise,_

_when I fall-"_

And it felt _right._

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><p><strong>THE END.<strong>

**Please REVIEW and tell me whatever you're thinking...feeling...experiencing...after you read this fic. I really wanna know:) **

**Next chappy of CHICKEN PRINCESS coming up! :D**


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